Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

is so greet þat but if Crist of his power and of his grace forȝyve þis synne, it may never be forȝyven. And for þis þing seiþ þe Chirche in þer preyeris þat oure God makiþ moost his myȝt knowen in sparynge and havynge mercy; for ȝif Crist dide not so, no synful man myȝte be saved. But we shulde undirstonde þat as God is mercyful so he is riȝtful, and hatiþ men þat breken covenaunt; and þerfore holde we covenaunt to God, and dis|seyve we not oure silf, for God may not be disseyved, however preestis bigile us.

ÞE FIFTENÞE SONDAI GOSPEL AFTIR TRINYTE.

[SERMON XV.]

Nemo potest duobus dominis servire.—MATT. vi. [24.]

ÞIS gospel techiþ men hou þei shulden be bisye for blisse and leve oþer worldely bisynesse þat lettiþ men fro þis. First seiþ Crist þis principle þat ech man shulde trowe, þat no man may wel serve two fulle lordes, for oþir shal he hate þe toon and love þe toþir, or susteynen cause of þe toon and dispise þe toþir; þus algatis he serveþ amys.—If he serve hem togidere, þe cause is more pleyn; and if he serve first þe toon and siþ þe toþir, oþer he serveþ amys þe toon or þe toþir. In alle þes resouns we shul suppose þat þe gospel spekiþ of siche lordis þat nouþir is wel servaunt to ouþir, as ben God and þe fend; for if þer ben two lordis and þat oon serve wel þat oþir, a man may serve wel to hem boþe, as we seen al daie; but þe gospel undirstondiþ of siche cheefe lordis þat han not above hem anoþir cheef lord. And so is þis world dyvydid in two maner of lordshipis þat ben Goddis and þe fendis, for alȝif þe fend have no propre lordship [Proper fiefs were those only which were held on condition of military service, in which case there was a mutual benefit. Improper fiefs were those held upon con|dition of various other kinds of service. The devil's lordship over man is not 'proper,' because he has no right to demand of man that he should fight his battles for him; nor is his forced service to God 'proper,' because it is attended by no benefit to himself. See Hallam's Middle Ages, I. 181.] , neþeles he calengiþ to have greet lordshipe, and so

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About this Item

Title: Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.
Author: Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas: Page 36
Publication: Oxford,: Clarendon Press,; 1869-71.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afb3713.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/afb3713.0001.001/72:3

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Full citation: "Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afb3713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2025.